I want to start this post by giving some context to what I read in the Bible this morning. Back when Moses, the Red Sea guy, was leading the Israelites through the wilderness he faced a pretty interesting situation. His brother had just died, the people he was leading had just won a victory over an enemy. After that victory they were wandering in the wilderness again and we come across this moment.

They traveled from Mount Hor along the route to the Red Sea, to go around Edom. But the people grew impatient on the way; they spoke against God and against Moses, and said, “Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? There is no bread! There is no water! And we detest this miserable food!”Then the LORD sent venomous snakes among them; they bit the people and many Israelites died. The people came to Moses and said, “We sinned when we spoke against the LORD and against you. Pray that the LORD will take the snakes away from us.” So Moses prayed for the people. Numbers 21:4-7

This passage is such a surprising passage in so many ways, and is probably due a post in and of itself, but I want to show you how God answered the prayer.

The LORD said to Moses, “Make a snake and put it up on a pole; anyone who is bitten can look at it and live.” So Moses made a bronze snake and put it up on a pole. Then when anyone was bitten by a snake and looked at the bronze snake, they lived. Numbers 21:8-9

An interesting moment where God chooses to use something that ‘seems’ like an idol to do the healing that the people needed. Just amazing. However I’m not wanting to tell about that moment either.

Now we fast forward many generations later. The great great great grandkids of the people we’ve just read about have now settled into the Promised Land. The Kingdom of Israel has split into 2 parts, and we are hearing about Israel and their new King Hezekiah, a great king coming after many poor ones. Here is his intro and what he began to do to lead the people back to the Lord.

In the third year of Hoshea son of Elah king of Israel, Hezekiah son of Ahaz king of Judah began to reign. He was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem twenty-nine years. His mother’s name was Abijah daughter of Zechariah. He did what was right in the eyes of the LORD, just as his father David had done. He removed the high places, smashed the sacred stones and cut down the Asherah poles……..2 Kings 18:1-4a

All good…..but wait to you hear what he did next.

He broke into pieces the bronze snake Moses had made, for up to that time the Israelites had been burning incense to it. (It was called Nehushtan.) 2 Kings 18:4b

Wow. I love moments like this. For one, I think it’s brilliant that they’d kept the bronze snake for all those years. I guess it makes sense in many ways. It was such a unique moment that we read about in Numbers and people would have been fascinated by hearing that story. It would have been a holy object because of how God used it.

It was a good thing back in Numbers and would have been remembered as a good thing.

However generations later it was no longer a good thing. The people had taken an object God had used and made it into a god. Something that was good had now become bad.

I think there is s real lesson in this for followers of Jesus today. Often in our adventures with Jesus we experience moments in places or with certain things that mark a special moment where we encountered Gods power and presence. Perhaps He spoke to us through something and we have treasured that thing. But perhaps as the years have gone by the thing or the place started to become more important than the God who used that thing or showed up in that place. I’ve seen this done too often with church buildings, plaques, tables, chairs and other things churches gather. It’s modern idolatry if we are to be fully honest about it.

So, that leaves me asking a few questions at the end of it all.

What are the good things and places that have surpassed God in our own lives?

What was good but might now be bad?

Is there something we need to break into pieces?